In The NoCo

Why a Cañon City exhibition displays — and sells — art by inmates at Colorado’s ‘Supermax’ prison

By In The NoCo,

Published August 22, 2025 at 5:35 AM MDT

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A colorful collage in a horizontal white frame hangs on a wall. There are cutouts from newspapers and magazines sprinkled throughout. — An annual art show at Fremont Center for the Arts in Cañon City, Colorado, exhibits artwork made by inmates at the USP Florence ADMAX — better known as Supermax. The artwork is for sale to the public, which helps pay for the inmates' restitution.

An unusual art show held each year in Cañon City displays – and sells – pieces by some of the most dangerous convicted criminals in the country.

Fremont Center for the Arts sits about 20 minutes from the highest security prison in the nation: the USP Florence ADMAX, better known as Supermax. Each year, an art show at the gallery displays work created by Supermax inmates – like Terry Nichols, who helped plan the Oklahoma City bombing.

The public can purchase any of the art, which is created through a unique program at Supermax.

Journalist Sue McMillin lives in Cañon City, and recently wrote about the prison art program for the Colorado Sun. She spoke with Erin O’Toole about why the program was developed, and the ethical concerns of selling art created by high-profile inmates.

The exhibition, titled “Art in Isolation: Creating Space,” runs through Aug. 29.

A mural is painted around double doors depicting shadowy figures in the landscape around Florence, where the Supermax prison is located.

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In The NoCo

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.

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Ariel Lavery

Ariel Lavery grew up in Louisville, Colorado and has returned to the Front Range after spending over 25 years moving around the country. She co-created the podcast Middle of Everywhere for WKMS, Murray State University’s NPR member station, and won Public Media Journalism awards in every season she produced for Middle of Everywhere. Her most recent series project is "The Burn Scar", published with The Modern West podcast. In it, she chronicles two years of her family’s financial and emotional struggle following the loss of her childhood home in the Marshall Fire.

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Erin O'Toole

As the host of KUNC’s news program and podcast In The NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.

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Brad Turner

Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS Newshour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.

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